Manufacture of wood tar-formaldehyde resins



-: with agents which act catalyticallyinresiniorrn A ing reactions to produce a highly valuable resin.

Enema! Feb. 13, 1940 v 1 MANUFAoTuRE-Ioi" woon 'rAn rortM annsmnm ms a Jean Lldvesquaiiiigotwkill, Quebec, (ianada a No Drawing.

The present invention relates to the manufacture of prepared resins and more particularly.

" resins formed from wood tars,

extent as black paint Ibas'es, in ship building,

pharmacy and the like, there is little use; or;de-'- mandfor tar obtainedasa by productin the; dei-t proximately 180 C. to 2609 0., alsoat atmospheric c l structive distillation of hard woods and such; tar u is frequently discarded as a wasteproduct. Con,

tively cheap tars obtained in sequently, such material is obtainable-very;

h la; Y

An object of the present inventionl is the pro duction of highly valuable resins from the rela destructive distillaltion of wood. a i i L Another object of the invention is therproduction of relatively high yields ofzvaluable'synthetic" resins from 'woodtars and particularly tar produced in the destructive distillationof hardwood;

' production of resin from woodtarbyicbtaining a j r A furtherob'ject of the inventio'nis: theproduci tion of syntheticfresin from wood'tarsin which the pitcnoils are utilized with or without theij light and creosote oils.

' Still another object high 1 yield of distillation "products from thelitar eacting the distillate thus obtaineddwith'a resinifyingbody. and a catalyticagent to produce substantially insoluble,

substances; y

, Other objects andadvantages of theinvention 'will become apparent as the description :progf resses l a v The process generally 'consists'in subjecting I wood tarto distillationunder relatively high con proportion of the tar. Theoils thus; obtainedjare reacted with a resinifyingbody, such as formaldeditions of temperature, preferablyunder vacuum,

to obtain a high yield of oils, including not only "the, light and heavy or'cre'osote oils, but the higher boiling pitch oils which form a relatively large hyde or other methylene containing body,and

which is a very cheaply obtainable lay-product in the destructive distillation of hard wood.

I have obtained very satisfactoryresults by sub- 'jecting the tar obtained indestructive distillation of hard wood to distillation at heatingtem era w mg-j 1 2"? Wood tars-obtained in the destructive distillation of wood have, heretofore, been of comparae tively little commercial value. While theetarsoi soft and resinous woods have been utilized to some,

of the inventionir infusible 1 and n'lol'dable point or the water, for about one hour.

s unto 3509C; conducted under 'ahigh vacu- The distillationi wasconducted inwthree stagescomprising an initial operation resulting in;the distillation oii a light oil fraction. distilling at a temperature oiapproximately fio C.,to;1803:

,C which.wasconductedjunder atmospheric pres-I i sure and producing 'whatiis knowmasalight oil "fractionofthetar.

A second stageof distillation produced e'c} ond fraction; distilling at a temperature of. ap-

pressure-, and producing a fraction zknownl as heavy orcreosote 01L l =5: Q 1? 1: 1' The distillation; operation was ithen continued in a thirdstage at a temperature up toI350PC.,'

By this treatment; 'I obtained yield of oils suitable for the manufacturecof tresin.

tar, compared to. japp'rogimatelyil0% and 20% of creosote or:;heavy 011.

hthaentiresbil di ti r e j d the distillation operation may be treated-together; in" the resin producing operation, I prefer to treati each orthe ,three fractions-separately to": obtain The pitch foils aatmtgtt; smears a at approximately 350 0;, under vacuum were iniremaining oil was mixed with formaldehyde, a

commercial 40% solution,, in' the proportion of about equal parts offpitchoil and 40% formalde The comparatively-high oil yield-obtained from theitar body: was due, tova' great. "extent; to -"the? important step of distillingxthe pitchioil' which constituted a yield oiapproximately 35% oiilthe of light oilf,

at a

The, water,

hyde solution; by weight. A smallv amount, approximately 1% by weight of sodium hydrox aniline, were added to the mixture which was then fidefsodium carbonate, potassium hydroxide or ,potassium carbonate, andthe same aniountlof. 5

stirrer, andlheated to a temperature of 'appl'oxi mately 100 C., that is just below the boiling y y 40 a tially'washed in ajsodium carbonate solution for bleachingfand neutralizing purposes. wasremoved by decanting) orsiphonin'g, and the Reaction was generally finished after that period of time, and checked by the appearance and characteristics of the treated mixture. found that said mixture, after the heating and agitation were suspended, settles into three definite layers, as follows:

Bottom layer: synthetic resin.

Intermediate layer: water and iormaldehyde.

Top layer: unreacted oils with 'smallaniounts of resin'dissolved therein.

Thus, the unreacted oils floating could be easily discerned, abnormal amounts thereof beingindicative of an incomplete reaction: p The mixture was allowed to cool "a watery liquid removed. The residuegwas; first;

washed with water and then" with gasoline and the resulting product wasdehydrated*irifvac uum (28 inches) at a temperature between l2fl and 130C for one-half totwo'houramroduc ing a hard brown coloured solid material. This resinous product is useful 'ror' many; purposes; it maybe-groundjand mixed with fillers an'd hardi eners, for molding purposesor diss'olved insuit{ able solvents. While "the product is insoluble" in watenbenze'ne or solvent naphtha, it is soluble inacetone, and a mixtur'efthereof with "alcohol,

like after for usein paints, varnishes an'd the bleaching with suitable bleachers. Y

o Furthermore, this resinou' s product may "be ,subjectedto turth'er hardening'Qwhen-it is -in" tendedto be-used for hardmold'ed articles'g It". isthen subjected to a hardening treatment for" a few, minutes at a temperature "rangingbetween to C. it is then immediately molded under high pressure in hot molds (HO- G.) and left thereinl for a 'few m'ir'i'- utes. on. being removed from the molds; thearticles are then fina'lly-har rflene'd', or cured,"in xan autoclave, at pressures between 10-35 lbshper l sq. inch and at temperatures of' l30 .t'o 0;}

for one-half'to one hour. The resulting molded article is astrong, dielectric and infusible' ma chinable product, very. substantiallyunaifected' by water; acids, alkalies and ordinary solvents including benzene, solvent Inaphtha; acetone and' alcohol." I --I- Although, inxthe example described I have? indicated and preferto use aniline and caustic soda as the .catalytic agent, other-agents as' for instance caustic'potash, potassium carbonate and in general: all alkali carbonates aswelltas'm-ineral acids,-suchas. sulphuric anddhydrochloric acids, may be used asa:catalystr although'less effectively. 'I have four1d',"liowever, that aniline and sodium carbonate is the best catalyst-fin my purpose: withits use, the" yield is the: highest have obtained so far, *as' indicated by the" very? small quantity of unreacted oils fi oating on top' It was tionflto a temperature of about 350 C.

sodiumfcarbonate as a catalytic agents or the mixture, as previously explained. Furthermore, the'resin produced appears harder and the reaction time is shorter. The amount of catalytic agent used may vary, as for instance, from .1% to 5%, in accordance with the reaction desired. i

i In consequence of such treatment,,I obtain not only a comparatively high yield of distillation pro'ducts',-- due to' the relatively high temperature and "vacuum, which enables the" distillation of the pitch oil'from the tar, but I obtain an exceptionally high yield of resin from the distillates by the particular reaction effected.

. -ijs..to"be'understood that the form of my invention herein described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes as to the proportion of ingredients and steps'of'theprocess may be resorted to with- Out departing from the spirit of the invention or thescope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: '1 A -process for producing synthetic resin which'comprisessubjecting wood tar under conditions of temperature-reaching between ll0 to 350 62 and-in a vacuum sufficient to distil pitch oils'therefrom at the-"stated temperatures, and

reacting-the; said distillate with formaldehyde" and with-aniline and potassium carbonate.

.:g.I'A "process for producing synthetic resin which comprises subj'ecting'wood tar to distillation toa temperature of about 350 C. under high vacuum to distil pitch oil therefrom, and iqm eh d reactingthe said '-'d.istil late with and-with 'a'lc'atalytic agent. a

3.A process for producing -synthetic resin whichhcom prises subjecting "wood tar todistillaunder highvacuu'm to distil pitch oiltherefrom, and

reacting the distillate with an approximately equal part-bf formaldehyde and withfaniline and -,4'.*A resinous material comprising a product ofwwo'od ta'ri' produced by the distillation ofthe tart: in a: high vacuum'substantially' between 110 v C. and R350? 0. reacted with formaldehyde and aicatailyticagent. l I

5. A resinous material comprising a product of..wood tarfproduced by the distillation of the tarzat'oca-etemperature 'of approximately 350- 0..

under. high;- vacuum, andreacting the resultant pitch: oils with formaldehyde and a'sma'llamount of,=.an;-agent' which actscatalytically in resin formingwreactionsg I X 6. A resinous material comprising a product producedby the distillation of settled wood tar distilled; atsia temperatureattaining app'rox'i mately 350 C. in'a high vacuum reacted with formaldehyde and'aniline and sodium. carbonate. JEAN J. LEv sQUE. 

